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    Home » VEGANUARY

    Date Energy Bars | Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack

    Published: January 28, 2021 · Updated: June 11, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    When I see a recipe for something that is raw, wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined-sugar free and labelled healthy, I am sceptical, to say the least! BUT… Let us introduce you to a big brand replica – Chocolate and Orange Date Energy Bars – that are both healthy and delicious! A perfect snack to take to work or simply to munch on to tide you over until the dinner is ready!

    Take Me To:
    • Don’t Buy: Make Date and Nut Bars At Home
    • Ingredients
    • Method
    • Other Date Bar Recipes
    • Other Snack Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Don’t Buy: Make Date and Nut Bars At Home

    Have you ever bought dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free vegan date bars in an attempt to have healthier snacks to take to work or on a hike? We had been buying those regularly (we don’t any more! We make them!). Funnily enough, we don’t buy them because they’re healthy. We buy them because they are delicious (Seb loves anything dried/ dehydrated fruit-based). One of his favourite flavours is Chocolate & Orange, so that’s the recipe I’ve decided to share with you today.

    Heatlhy date energy bars on a piece of baking parchment.

    These Vegan Date Bars are extremely easy to make, but more importantly, they taste great and are a lot cheaper per bar compared to the ones you buy in a colourful wrapper in the shop. All you need is four simple ingredients and a food processor.

    And if you want to make them into something more luxurious: shape them into small balls, roll them in some extra bitter cocoa powder and call them Chocolate and Orange Date Truffles!

    Ingredients

    You will only need 4 ingredients to make these no-bake date bars!

    • dates: we used regular dates (not Medjool), but make sure the dates aren’t too dry!
    • cashew nuts: raw if you’re looking for raw data bars.
    • cocoa powder: unsweetened
    • orange: we will only use the zest.
    Ingredients for the date and nut bars on a white surface and a zester.

    Method

    Place the cashew nuts in a food processor and pulse to chop them up finely. The cashew bits need to be the approximate size of rock salt.

    Add the dates (if you’re using Medjool dates, you will need less than the recipe states, as they are a lot juicier), cocoa powder and orange zest and pulse again until you see clumps of sticky chocolaty dough forming. If you like orange chocolate, you may want to add some more zest. If your dates weren’t the juiciest and your mixture is looking very dry, add a tablespoon of water and pulse again. But don’t be tempted to add too much water too soon. Test that the mixture holds together first.

    To test if your mixture is wet enough and your bars won’t crumble, just take a bit of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball in your hand. If it comes together and holds shape, it’s ready!

    Cashew Nuts in a food processor.
    Date and cashew bar mixture in a kenwood food processor.

    Line a baking 24×24 cm tray or a few Tupperware boxes with baking parchment. Tip the date mix into it and press down into an even layer. Press directly with lightly oiled hands or place another sheet of baking parchment on top, if you don’t want your hands messy. Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

    Lift the cooled date mixture out of the tray and onto a chopping board. Cut into bars and they are ready to snack on!

    The date and nut mixture tipped into a baking parchment lined tray.
    The mixture being pressed down with both hands.
    Chocolate date bars being cut with a sharp Global knife.

    Other Date Bar Recipes

    Let me know if you’d like to see more of the raw dried fruit/ nut bar recipes. I am more than happy to share them! Another favourite of ours is Raw Cranberry and Date Bars.

    Other Snack Recipes

    If you enjoyed the Orange & Chocolate Date bars, please let us know in the comments below! For other snack ideas, visit our Snacks & Bites section, which includes:

    • Sourdough Grissini
    • White Chocolate & Cranberry Flapjacks
    • Apricot and Pecan Biscuits

    Recipe Card

    Chocolate & Orange Date Bars

    Chocolate & Orange Date Bars

    When I see a recipe for something that is raw, wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined-sugar free and labelled healthy, I am sceptical, to say the least! BUT… Let us introduce you to a big brand replica – Chocolate & Orange Date Bars – that are both healthy, decadent and delicious! A perfect snack to take to work or simply to much on to tide you over until the dinner is ready!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Vegan
    Servings 18 bars
    Calories 128 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food Processor

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 420 g dates we used regular dates (not Medjool)
    • 180 g cashew nuts
    • 30 g cocoa powder unsweetened
    • 1 orange zest only

    Instructions
     

    • Place the cashew nuts in a food processor and pulse to chop them up finely. The cashew bits need to be the size of rock salt.
    • Add the dates, cocoa powder and orange zest and pulse again until you see clumps of sticky chocolaty dough forming. You may need to add a tablespoon of water if your dates weren't very juicy. Test if your mixture is ready by taking a bit of it and squeezing it into a ball in your hand. If it comes together and holds shape, it's ready!
    • Line a baking 24×24 cm tray or a few tupperware boxes with baking parchment. Tip the date mix into it and press down into an even layer. Press directly with lightly oiled hands or place another sheet of baking parchment on top, if you don't want your hands messy. Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
    • Lift the cooled date mixture out of the tray and onto a chopping board. Cut into bars and they are ready to snack on!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 258mgFiber: 3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 19IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Chocolate & Orange Date Bar Recipe UK, Chocolate & Orange Date Bars, Chocolate Date Bars, Date Bars Recipe UK, Gluten Free Date Bar Recipe, Gluten Free Date Bars, Healthy Date Bars, Healthy Raw Bars, Healthy Snacks Recipes, Vegan Date Bars, Vegan Snack Bars, Vegan Snacks, Veganuary Recipes
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

    More VEGANUARY

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      May 06, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      I love the pieces of cashew in these bars and the taste of orange with chocolate is so delicious too.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 07, 2021 at 7:18 am

        Thanks, Amanda! 🙂

        Reply
      • Joanne

        February 13, 2023 at 11:47 pm

        5 stars
        I made this and tried this tonight. We loved it. Thank you so much 👌

        Reply
        • Ieva

          February 15, 2023 at 6:28 am

          You are most welcome! So glad you liked them 🙂

          Reply
    2. Jess

      May 28, 2021 at 4:59 pm

      5 stars
      These were delicious! I’d love to see any more raw bar recipes you have. 😁

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 30, 2021 at 3:07 pm

        Thanks:) I’ll make sure to post some more raw bar recipes soon!

        Reply
    3. Heather

      July 20, 2021 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      I can’t believe these were only made with 4 ingredients. Perfect on the go snack!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 20, 2021 at 5:20 pm

        Yes, absolutely perfect to take on a hike or simple for a snack at work! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Matej @ CookWeWill

      October 15, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      5 stars
      I’m not exactly a healthy eater, but I try to change my diet for the better and these date bars look like something even my kids would love 🙂 Definitely giving this recipe a try!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        October 15, 2021 at 6:21 pm

        We are not exactly healthy eaters wither, Matej, but these bars still hit the spot 😀

        Reply
    5. Natalie

      January 04, 2022 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      I keep searching for healthy snacks for my kids, and I must say I am very satisfied with your chocolate date bars, my kids loved them!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 05, 2022 at 7:23 am

        That’s great, Natalie! Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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